Marie Frances B. Macabenta: Sweetening and Salting the Bitterness

Chocolate maker and Balai Cacao owner Marie Frances Macabenta (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

The province of Bohol is mostly known as one of the Philippines’ popular tourist destinations with its white-sand beaches, heritage churches, tarsiers and the Chocolate Hills. Lesser known about the Central Visayan island is that there are several chocolate makers making their own chocolate products. 

            One of them is Balai Cacao, which is based in a residential area in the district of Manga in Tagbilaran City, the capital of Bohol. The bungalow is actually nondescript except for a small sign. It is actually the home of its owner and founder, Marie Frances Buyco Macabenta.

            Macabenta actually has been a teacher for many years and started a small chocolate business, the Balai Cacao, which means “house of chocolate.”

“It started in 2011 as a passion and for my personal interest because I had a heart bypass in 2011. And I learned that chocolates—or dark chocolate specifically—is very good for my heart health. So, I did the research and I became interested in it. And so, I learned it from an elderly woman who is vending budbud (local rice cake) and sikwate (chocolate drink) in the neighborhood,” she related. “And so, I asked her to teach me and I learned from her. And that became my passion. And I was teaching then. I was in the academe for twenty-one years. On the side of my teaching job, I did tablea (chocolate tablets). I sold it to my friends, relatives. And so, it became a hobby and later on an income-generating project.”

            Macabenta actually hails from La Paz, Iloilo City, Iloilo, but she married a Boholano, and moved to Bohol. Coming from Iloilo, which is known for its cuisine, an enterprise related to food is not a far-fetched idea.

            In  2013, they bought a piece of land in San Isidro, Tagbilaran, and her husband became interested in cultivating cacao trees. 

“So, he planted cacao and he gave away some seedlings to the fathers in the neighborhood. Later on, we saw children roaming around and ang papayat nila tapos nakakatuwa din na (they were so skinny and they were also amusing because) they were very responsive.”

Concerned about the plight of the children, they decided to help through outreach to the children and then to the mothers, organizing feeding programs and catechesis Sunday school, giving them sikwate and champorado.

They also helped the parents, especially the mothers, organize a savings group, and introduced an income-generating project. 

“Una ‘yung (First, it was) soapmaking pero (but) later on we realized na not everyone can be entrepreneurs. We thought about it; we prayed na ano kaya kung itong tablea gagawin nating (what to do, what of we make chocolate making a) business and we employ the mothers. And so that's what we did,” Macabenta related. 

Thus, in 2017, she registered Balai Cacao enterprises, and hired the mothers of the children. 

She said, “We thought it was a sustainable way of helping the community. And later on, in 2019. I thought about it very hard and deep, and decided that I will leave the academe after twenty-one years of teaching. And so, I did not wait for retirement. Sana magre-retire ako at the time, mga nine years pa ang aabutin (It would take nine years before I retire). So, I decided to resign. But the university gave me a gratuity pay na ginamit ko rin na (which I used as) capital for my tablea business.”

            She also found support from initiatives such as the Canada-funded Great Women Project and programs for women entrepreneurs of Department of Trade and Industry and Department of Science and Technology. 

            She continued: “My husband bought me a grinder na parang sinasaksak sa kuryente pero (an electric one but) very simple grinder. So, I didn't have to go to the market para ipa-grind yung aking tablea (to have my chocolate ground), and that was how I started—[with] Php5,000 and then the grinder and then this dirty kitchen. And then we improved it. And then later on, of course, when the pandemic came, we made the factory. That was in 2019.”

            Macabenta also enhanced her skills in chocolate making as well as in marketing by enrolling in different trainings.

“So, I learned the science of making tablea because I only learned it from experience and from, of course, my mentor, ‘yung elderly woman, si Nanay Paping. Later on, pati chocolate making tinuruan kami and DTI also helped me with the packaging. At first nag-introduce ako in a box, and then later on, I learned the craft and made some designs already,” she divulged. 

            Her enterprise thrived despite the pandemic. When her husband retired, he was able to help her out. They slowly improved their home-based factory, and found a supplier for good quality beans.

            From the simple, tablea, the coin-shaped unsweetened chocolate used to make chocolate drink, she was able to create other chocolate products such as nibs, candies and chocolate barks with nuts and seeds. Her latest products contain asin tibuok, the artisanal sea salt of Bohol, which is a heritage product that is in danger of vanishing.

            She discovered asin tibuok through tour guides, who became their friends when they ventured into farm tourism. They invited the couple to visit a salt-making workshop. 

“So pumunta kami (we went) and then we learned na ganoon pala kahirap ‘yung kanilang dinadanas just to preserve the asin tibuok, ‘yung heritage nila. And then triny din namin, kasi gumagamit na rin ako ng asin sa chocolates, ‘yung Himalayan salt. Pero na-taste ko na mas maganda ‘yung taste ng asin tibuok. Para kasing may smoky flavor na kino-compliment niya ‘yung chocolate. At saka, since very conscious kami sa health—dark chocolate ‘yung sa amin—so parang nate-temper niya or naba-balance niya ‘yung taste ng sweetness. At saka ‘yung beans din namin, dahil nga fermented siya, fruity flavor, so nako-compliment din nung fruity flavor ng asin tibuok (We went and then we learned how difficult it is for them to preserve asin tibuok, their heritage. And then we tried it because I also use salt in chocolates, Himalayan salt. But I tasted that asin tibuok has a better taste. It's like it has a smoky flavor that complements the chocolate. And since we're very health-conscious, our chocolate is dark, so it tempers or balances out the sweetness. And also our beans, because they're fermented, have a fruity flavor, so the flavor is complemented by the asin tibuok),” she enthused.

            Macabenta started using asin tibuok coming out with chili chocolate flakes with asin tibuok, sesame chocolate barks with asin tibuok and chia and oat chocolate barks with asin tibuok. She also put a dash of asin tibuok on her sikwate

“I've been using asin tibuok with my sikwate. Iba ang taste ng sikwate with asin tibuok. Ang asin kasi naba-balance niya rin yung tamis. Cacao is really bitter. Bitter lang siya sa sarili niyang taste pero lalagyan mo ng sugar para naman matabunan ‘yung bitterness pero dark chocolate pa rin yung aming sikwate. Para hindi masyadong matamis, at saka may flavor siya na unique din, nilalagay namin ng asin tibuok (It tastes different with asin tibuok. The salt also balances the sweetness. Cacao is really bitter. It's just bitter on its own but you add sugar to cover up the bitterness but our chocolate drink is still dark chocolate. To be not too sweet, and to have a unique flavor, we add a dash of asin tibuok),” she enthused.

            Her use of asin tibuok is her way of helping this element of cultural heritage continue, and she said she frequently promotes it so that makers can sustain their craft and tradition.

“Every time kung may chance ako (If I have the chance), I tell some of my friends not just about my chocolates but also about asin tibuok,” she said. 

 

Balai Cacao is a home-based operation in Tagbilaran, Bohol  (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

Some Balai Cacao products using asin tibuok  (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

Macabenta making chocolate drink the traditional way and using asin tibuok of Bohol (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

Macabenta making chocolate bark with asin tibuok (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

Makati City Holds LGBTQ+ Pride Event to Spread Love

Makati City's event to celebrate LGBTQ+ love and inclusion (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

 

While some LGBTQ+ Pride marches have been held in Makati City, prominent of which is the Philippines’ longest running Pride march, the Metro Manila Pride March, on December 8, 2012, with about 1,500 attendees, a major Pride event was spearheaded by Makati City government, led by its mayor, Abigail “Abby” Binay-Campos, for the first time on July 27, 2024.

Intended to be a celebration of diversity, equality, inclusion and love, “Spread the Love, Makati!” was held on a closed-off section of Makati Avenue in the barangay of Poblacion from 10 a.m. to almost midnight, with city officials gracing the event including congressmen Luis Campos and Kid Peña, vice mayor Monique Lagdameo, and the city councilors. Binay-Campos said the event is also a “movement towards understanding, acceptance, and support for everyone in our diverse community, regardless of their background.”

LGBTQ+ organizations and advocates, such as Metro Manila Pride, also led in the organization of “Spread the Love, Makati!,” together with Makati City’s Museum and Cultural Affairs Office and the Makati Gender and Development Council, and the event had a program that featured drag queens and several celebrities such as Nadine Lustre, Heart Evangelista, Karen Davila, and Angela King.

            The day began with a series of talks, held at different hotels in the area, tackling issues for inclusive development and cultural diversity as well as gender sensitivity, addressing discrimination, health needs of the LGBTQ+ community, and meaningful allyship—“Understanding SOGIESC: The Importance of Gender Sensitivity and the Call for the Passage of the SOGIE Equality Bill” at Saint Giles Hotel with speaker Janlee Dungca of Castro Communications; “Differentiated Care: Understanding the Health Needs of the LGBTQIAP+ Community” at Coro Hotel with speaker Benedict Bernabe; “Pride in Business: The Journey from Awareness to Allyship” at the City Garden Grand with speakers Bobby Batungbacal from the Makati Business Club, Ichi Yabut from the Makati City Government, Junie del Mundo from The EON Group and Weena Ekid from Philippine Financial and Inter-Industry Pride (PFIP), who shared highlights from PFIP’s 2024 Philippine LGBTQ+ Workplace Inclusion Report; and “Beyond the Rainbow: Confronting Internalized Homophobia in the LGBTQIA+ Community” at I’M Hotel with speakers Ruel Bayani of ABS-CBN television network, filmmaker Milo Sogueco and writer G3 San Diego. 

There were also workshops on drag makeup and styling with drag queen Tiny Deluxe and on photography and painting with Niccolo Cosme at Hoesik Bar and Lounge.

            Part of the venue, which was styled by acclaimed visual artist Leeroy New, hosted a fair with booths by local and LGBTQ-owned businesses selling food and merch as well as by LGBTQ+ groups to promote their causes, including a free HIV testing stall. Different games and activities were also prepared for the attendees. 

            In the afternoon, street dancing performances with different groups including the. Intensity Dancers, DJ sets by Moira Lang and Dignos, street voguing with Nunoy Revlon and his dancers, and the unfurling of a giant rainbow flag led to the main program, which started at 6 P.M. and provided an opportunity for guest celebrities to express their solidarity. 

“We are here to celebrate love,” said Evangelista. “I like to share the stage with all of you. We are present and not at the farthest of reaching because each and every single one of us here holds something very special in our hearts, something that is very unique, a unique kind of spring that blossoms internally, and that is the sense of self. And we should celebrate it. We should hear it.”

“In this world they say love is intangible but indeed on this night it has been made present because of all of you. We shall celebrate it and we shall champion it,” she ended.

Davila emphasized the importance of equality and inclusion, and that inequality affects many aspects of life. 

“Nagsisimula po and inclusion, diversity and the belief in equality sa ating mga tahanan (Inclusion, diversity and the belief in equality start at home),” the veteran broadcast journalist said, calling out abuses that LGBTQ+ people undergo at homes. 

She further said, “Ating tandaan sa mata ng Panginoon, pare-pareho lang tayo (Let’s remember that we are all the same in the eyes of God)…The Philippines is one of the most tolerant countries in the world when it comes to gays, pero bakit ayaw natin silang bigyan ng karapatan na patas sa atin? Bakit po gusto lang natin tino-tolerate sila? Ang tunay na patas ay iisa lahat sa ilalim ng batas (but why don’t give them rights that are equal to ours? Why do we just tolerate them? Real equality is all the same under the law). So to the gay community, It’s an honor to be here celebrating with all of you.”

Lustre, King and Tim Yap also shared their messages to the community as well as couple Ice Seguerra and Liza Diño, who sent a video message. 

Other celebrities who joined were Geneva Cruz, Top Suzara of the band Freestyle, Mark Bautista and Nicole Laurel Asencio, who also performed for the community. 

            “No matter what you went through, you are loved through and through,” said Asencio. 

The lineup of performers also included “Tawag ng Tanghalan” alumni Anton Antenorcruz, Raven Heyres, and Saga who sang in their latest collaboration, “Say It Clear, Say It Loud,” which was produced by Boy Abunda; and the band La Crema. Drag performers from O Bar and the House of Ding including house mother and Drag Race Philippines’ first season contestant Brigiding brought energy and vibrance to the stage.

After-parties were held at Dr. Wine, Sanctuary, I’M Hotel Poolside, Sprits Library and other bars in the area.

Different booths and activities (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

Heart Evangelista and Karen Davila (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

Nadine Lustre (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

Nicole Laurel Asensio (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

Top Suzara of Freestyle (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

Geneva Cruz (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

Angie King (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

Brigiding (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

La Crema (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

The House of Ding (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

The queens of O Bar (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

A drag performer from O Bar (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

Amsterdam Rainbow Dress Sashays to the Philippines

Amsterdam Rainbow Dress on display at the Trinoma Activity Center in Quezon City (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

Aside from garnering a record-breaking attendance, the Philippine LGBTQ+ Pride Month celebration and protest, Love Laban 2 Everyone: Pride PH Festival 2024, had another notable feature—the wearable installation Amsterdam Rainbow Dress, which was brought the country and to Southeast Asia for the first time.

The installation is a dress made of the national flags of countries where being LGBTQ+ or LGBTQ+ acts are illegal, punishable by imprisonment, torture and even death. When a country adopts LGBTQ+ inclusive legislation, its flag is replaced with a rainbow flag. The dress, which has a diameter of over 16 meters or 52 feet, is made up of 68 flags, the bodice made from the city flag of Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. The European country is notable in LGBTQ+ history, being the first to legalize same-sex marriage. 

The Amsterdam Rainbow Dress traces its roots to the Euro Pride/Amsterdam Pride 2016. At the Pride Walk parade held on the opening day on July 30, flags of 75 countries where homosexuality was illegal in 2016 were carried. These flags were afterwards presented to Arnout van Krimpen, Jochem Kaan, Oeri van Woezik and Mattijs van Bergen, who spearheaded the creation of the dress with volunteers from COC Nederland, a LGBTQ+ organization, and the Amsterdam Museum. The Amsterdam Rainbow Dress was unveiled on 5 August 2016. It has been brought to many parts of the world and was used in many art photography projects, with the aim of raising awareness on the global struggle of the marginalized community and of advocating for acceptance and equal rights. 

The Philippines is one of countries that the dress is brought to, bringing more significance to Love Laban 2 Everyone: Pride PH Festival 2024 on June 22, 2024, in Quezon City.

According to organizer Pride PH, a network of LGBTQ+ groups, and the Amsterdam Rainbow Dress Foundation, the “presence of the Amsterdam Rainbow Dress at this year's Pride highlights the international solidarity for LGBTQl+ rights, reminding us that the fight for equality transcends borders.” 

“With the world's eyes on the Philippines, it is imperative that we seize this moment to pass laws that are inclusive of the LGBTQI+ community and persons of diverse SOGIESC (sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics),” they further stated.

An art photography shoot was mounted featuring comedian, actor and host Vice Ganda, one of the most prominent Filipino LGBTQ+ personalities.  The project had Vince Liban, Jap Ignacio and Jaymie Reyes as project managers, and filmmaker and Drag Den creator Rod Singh as creative producer. Vice Ganda was photographed wearing the dress, with one photo showing the Quezon Memorial Shrine in the background, by the duo of Cenon and Mav (Cenon Norial III and Mav Bernardo).

After Love Laban 2 Everyone: Pride PH Festival, the installation was on display at the central atrium of the mall TriNoma in Quezon City on June 25 and 26. It was accompanied by multi-colored panels that showed some highlights in Philippine LGBTQ+ history including the march of a lesbian collective during International Women's Day in 1992; Pro-Gay Philippines’ rally at the Quezon Memorial Circle, called Stonewall Manila, in 1994; the very first Pride March in the Philippines and in Asia in 1996; a gay political party, Ang Ladlad, appeared on the ballot for the first time, fighting for the Anti-Discrimination Bill, in 2010; the Metro Manila Pride March and Festival: Here Together with more than 8,000 attendees in Marikina City the 2017;  the Metro Manila Pride March and Festival: Rise Up Together gathered a historic 25,000 attendees in Marikina City n 2018;  the Metro Manila Pride March and Festival: Resist Together made history with the biggest Pride march attendance in the Philippines with over 70,000 attendees in Marikina City in 2019; and Quezon City holding its first QC Pride March and Festival, attended by about 25,000 people, in 2022. 

            Another set of panels told about the different forms of discrimination and marginalization and challenges that LGBTQ+ people encounter every day and in many areas. 

“The Amsterdam Rainbow Dress not only stands as a powerful symbol of these rights but also celebrates the rich culture and history of the queer community—emphasizing the importance of diversity and acceptance in our society,” organizers said. 

 

The display was accompanied by panels about Philippine LGBTQ+ history and struggles (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

Vice Ganda in Amsterdam Rainbow Dress (Photo by Cenon Norial III and Mav Bernardo)